Gombe proposes N107.4bn budget for 2014

GOMBE State governor, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, yesterday presented a budget proposal of N107, 453,594,650.00 billion to the state House of Assembly for consideration as the fiscal plan for the 2014 financial year. The budget is made up of a recurrent expenditure of N43, 587,156,150.00 billion and a capital expenditure of N63, 866,438,500.00 billion. The governor said the financial document, tagged, “budget of restoration” is predicated on an estimated recurrent revenue and capital receipts of N50, 820,800,000.00 billion and N55, 833,643,750.00 billion respectively, with an anticipated budget deficit of N678, 044,750.00 million. He said the policy thrust of the budget is to guide the progress towards the implementation of the administration’s projects/ programmes, which include its 2011 – 2015 action plan, the vision 20-20-20 and the sectoral plans. The budget proposal, according to Governor Dankwambo, “include the continued implementation of all on-going projects and programmes, as well as the initiation of new ones. “Strengthening the reduction of poverty, employment generation, and wealth creation policies and programmes; enhanced access to quality healthcare services, housing, and microcredit. “Continued attention to education; harnessing the huge agricultural potentials of the state for food security and employment generation; continued infrastructure development; and maintenance of peace and security among others.” Under the sectoral focus, works and infrastructure subsector got N15, 590,000,000.00 billion to top the allocation chart. This is followed by education, with 9,218,244,000.00 billion, while general administration came third with N3,587,900,000.00 billion share of the budget. Housing and Transport, Health and education followed in the order of N2.937 billion, N2.645 billion and N2.548 billion respectively, with the least budget of N43million allocated to local government and community development. Presenting the budget, Dankwambo said this year’s financial plan is unique because it was prepared in line with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards IPSAS, hence a deviation from the traditional system of incremental budgeting. He explained that the fiscal arrangement is tagged budget of restoration because it spelt “the determination to further restore the confidence of the people of the state in good governance, and also restore the lost glory of the state in the national and sub-national development arena.” The governor solicited the full cooperation and support of the citizenry, as he assured of the administration’s continued focus towards achieving its mission and vision of galvanising the economy of the state.